“Lizzie’s Story Felt Like Home:” Meaning-Making and Narratively-Constructed Digital Intimacy in Literary Web Series Meredith C. Dabek A major thesis submitted for the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies Maynooth University Department of Media Studies October 2019 Supervisor: Dr. Jeneen Naji Head of Department: Dr. Kylie Jarrett Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................... viii Glossary of Literary Web Series .................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 The Evolution of the (Literary) Web Series ...................................................................................... 1 The Lizzie Bennet Diaries ............................................................................................................ 10 Thesis Structure ........................................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations of Literary Web Series ........................................................ 27 Preview ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Defining Literary Web Series ....................................................................................................... 27 Literary Web Series in the Convergent Media Environment ............................................................ 33 Literary Web Series as Transmedia Narratives ............................................................................... 41 Literary Web Series as Fanfiction and Digital Literature ................................................................. 57 Review ........................................................................................................................................ 62 Chapter 3: Agency and Affordances in Literary Web Series ....................................................... 64 Preview ....................................................................................................................................... 64 The “Characteristic Pleasures” of Literary Web Series ................................................................... 64 Defining Affordances ................................................................................................................... 67 Affording Intimacy ...................................................................................................................... 81 Review ........................................................................................................................................ 85 Chapter 4: Immersion and Resonance in Literary Web Series ..................................................... 87 Preview ....................................................................................................................................... 87 Defining Immersion ..................................................................................................................... 87 Spatial and Temporal Immersion ................................................................................................... 91 Emotional Immersion ................................................................................................................... 99 Defining Resonance ................................................................................................................... 104 Austen’s Resonant and Intimate Legacy ...................................................................................... 109 i Review ...................................................................................................................................... 113 Chapter 5: Methodology and Data Analysis ............................................................................... 115 Preview ..................................................................................................................................... 115 Research Paradigms ................................................................................................................... 115 The Lizzie Bennet Diaries Reader Survey .................................................................................... 118 Semi-Structured Interviews ........................................................................................................ 142 Review ...................................................................................................................................... 149 Chapter 6: Narratively-Constructed Digital Intimacy in Literary Web Series ........................... 151 Preview ..................................................................................................................................... 151 Defining Narratively-Constructed Digital Intimacy ...................................................................... 151 Narratively-Constructed Digital Intimacy in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries ......................................... 171 Review ...................................................................................................................................... 184 Chapter 7: Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 186 Limitations and Future Research ................................................................................................. 194 Final Thoughts ........................................................................................................................... 198 References ................................................................................................................................... 200 Appendix A: The LBD Reader Survey ....................................................................................... 233 Appendix B: Anonymised Survey Data ...................................................................................... 247 Appendix C: Information Sheet for Interview Subjects ............................................................. 248 Appendix D: Consent Form for Video Interview Subjects ......................................................... 251 Appendix E: Consent Form for Email Interview Subjects ......................................................... 253 ii Abstract This thesis explores readers’ experiences with a genre of digital narratives known as literary (inspired) web series. These narratives present updated, digital retellings of classic literature from the Western canon and arise from the rapid development of the convergent media environment and the evolution of social media platforms. Literary web series draw on a variety of storytelling methods to create interactive, immersive, and emotionally resonant narrative experiences for readers. As hybrid media-literary artefacts, these narratives leverage the affordances of social media platforms to encourage reader participation and interaction, generate forms of narrative immersion to convey an authentic and realistic story, and capitalise on the literary resonance of their source texts to foster the development of an engaged community of readers. These methods of meaning-making help create intimate narrative experiences that provide readers with a significant and lasting connection to the text. Using the literary web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (LBD), as a case study, this thesis explores LBD’s use of the sociotechnical affordances of YouTube, Twitter, and Tumblr; LBD’s creation of narrative immersion for its readers; and the literary resonance of LBD’s source material, Pride and Prejudice. Results from a mixed-methods online survey of LBD readers and follow-up semi- structured interviews with select respondents reveal that readers’ experiences with LBD were deeply meaningful and contributed to readers feeling a sense of intimate connection with the narrative and other readers. Consequently, this thesis will propose that literary web series like LBD can help drive the formation of what I have labelled “narratively-constructed digital intimacy,” an affective feeling stemming from the methods of meaning-making in LBD as well as mediated and narrative intimacies, and para-social interactions. Subsequently, reader experiences of literary web series that include narratively-constructed digital intimacy can provide readers with a “a long-lasting and ineffable sense of significance” (Stockwell, 2009a). iii Acknowledgements “Close your eyes. Feel it. The light… it’s always been there. It will guide you.” (Maz Kanata, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) Undertaking and completing PhD research is a daunting task and it can also be a lonely and isolating experience, particularly in the final few months when you become so intently focused on finishing your thesis.